Treatment of adolescents in a residential facility: a study of three approaches

This study examined the preferred professional treatment approach at a residential treatment center for socially and emotionally maladjusted girls. The dorm child-care workers and the clinical and educational staff responded to a questionnaire composed of statements reflective of three theoretical orientations: psychoanalytic, person-centered, and cognitive-behavioral therapy. No significant differences were found between the three departments (clinical, school, dorm) for each model of therapy. The results also indicated that the professional personnel employed at this treatment facility were all in agreement that the cognitive-behavioral model of therapeutic intervention is the one preferred. Implications of these findings are discussed.